A few years ago I recall the looks my friend Jennifer would get when she mentioned she'd been trying internet dating sites. Admittedly, at the time, I too thought she must be desperate; couldn't she meet anyone in 'reality'? Didn't she ever talk to people at work or at parties?

I concluded that she must be either socially inept, or a bit weird. Of course, you know I wouldn't be telling you all this if she had never met anyone...sure enough, she met a guy online, they fell in love, and now they're married.

Just one experience like this in your own circle of friends can make you reconsider your hasty judgments. So, could online dating really be the answer? Or, is best to just stick with the traditional method of meeting people, even though it hasn't worked out for you yet?

Well, let's say you're occupied with work all day , you go out a couple of times a week with your usual group of friends (been there, dated them), and the rest of the time you're washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning your home (or more likely a combination of Facebook, TV and surfing the net); realistically, how many new people are you likely to meet?

Even if you managed to date, or even chat beyond pleasantries with one new person a week, how many of those are likely to be a good match? One in a hundred? At that rate, it would take a couple of years to meet someone that you feel really attracted to.

So, let's say you look at these statistics and realize you need to up the odds of meeting someone. You do the logical thing and sign-up to a dating site that has millions of people in its database. You use the Internet to keep in touch with your friends, and for buying things, so why not for dating also?

Is email less 'real' than talking? Be honest, which do you do more of these days? Be that bit more honest, aren't messages and emails preferable when you're feeling a little nervous or anxious?

Talking to a person you've never met before that you like the look of is hard! opening a conversation is way easier from behind a screen. No more nervous chat-up lines and stuttered introductions. You get to think carefully about what you say and ensure that you present yourself in the right way. You don't have to worry about blushing or sweating or your mouth going dry.

To summarize, not so long ago online dating appeared to me to be an absolute non-option. Now though, I'm convinced that it's certainly the best place to start. Let's say you meet just ten new members per week through online dating sites - even if only 1 person turns out to be eligible, you've increased your chances of meeting someone by over 1000! You can't argue with that!